SCOTLAND’S salmon farmers yesterday welcomed the announcement that consumption had risen by 20 per cent despite a health warning earlier this year linking the fish to the risk of cancer.

A survey of 11,000 British households revealed that farmed salmon featured in more than 86 million meals between March and May compared with 72 million during the same period last year.

In January scientists at Indiana University in the United States published a report which claimed that eating too much farmed salmon could lead to an increased risk of developing cancer. The scientists advised consumers to eat no more than two ounces of Scottish farmed salmon a month because of the dangers posed by chemical levels found in the fish.

Immediately after the claim consumption did drop by 1.8 per cent but began to rise again less than a month later.

Brian Simpson, chief executive of Scottish Quality Salmon, which represents 65 per cent of the country’s salmon production, welcomed the public’s refusal to be put off by a report he called “junk science”.

He said: “Despite a degree of media hysteria at the time, British shoppers have shown themselves to be pretty sensible in evaluating this food scare. They took the American study with the pinch of salt it deserved and relied on just about every other authority in the world to confirm that not only is Scottish farmed salmon safe to eat, it is both delicious and extremely good for you.”

The Food Standards Agency also urged people to continue eating farmed salmon because the oily fish has many proven health benefits. The European Union introduced a tariff regime in August designed to protect Scottish salmon from cheap imports. It followed claims that Norway was flooding the European market with cut-price salmon, leaving Scottish salmon farmers struggling.

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